Juninho: Defense the key in Western Conference Championship against Seattle

Juninho: Defense the key in Western Conference Championship against Seattle

CARSON, Calif. – Brazilian midfielder Juninho has been at the heart of the LA Galaxy midfield for three years and has enjoyed plenty of battles with Seattle Sounders FC. This Sunday, he'll be part of yet another battle in the Western Conference Championship First Leg at The Home Depot Center.

Juninho was stationed in the center of midfield for all three of the Galaxy’s matches against Seattle this season where LA accrued a 1-2-0 record against the Sounders this season. In those matches, the midfield battle turned on Juninho’s battles with Seattle’s Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans.

The Brazilian will need to be on point on both sides of the ball in the Western Conference Championship First Leg on Sunday as LA look to crack a Seattle defense that allowed just 33 goals this season—the lowest amount in the Western Conference.

Ahead of Sunday’s match, Juninho believes that team defense will ultimately decide the Western Conference Championship.

“Now, it’s who plays better on defense. We have two games and we need to be smart about that. I hope that we win both games and advance to the final, “said Juninho. “[We need to] play simple and smart because we have two games and the second game is [in Seattle]. We need to score a couple of goals [at home] and play smart and intelligent.”